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Cornish Libertarians

Received the following response to the Cornish Question from the South West branch of the Libertarian Party. I took their test and came out 50% liberal so plenty to disagree about, but wouldn’t it be far better, if Cornwall (and South West of England) are to vote eurosceptic, that they vote for this lot instead of UKIP? A party that recognises Kernows distinctiveness and right to greater self-determination rather than a gaggle of corrupt former Tories who have nothing but scorn for Cornish identity and home-rule.

The Libertarian Party of the United Kingdom has a central tenet that Government should be devolved to the individual as close as possible and should be as small as possible. Therefore apart from Defence and Foreign Affairs there is nothing that cannot be more effectively devolved to the County or regional level, and this includes Taxation.

We take our inspiration from the the Swiss Cantonal system, that has created a strong Federal system, without undermining the cultual and language differences of each Canton. In Switzerland it is well know than the individual has a greater direct say via referenda, less well known is that each Canton has different Taxation rates set by its particular needs.

As a Party we believe that the EU is an undemocratic institution, bent on an Imperial Project, that has never had the assent of the peoples of these Isles and is therefore illegal. Nearly Seventy per Cent of the population agree with this point of view. Our relationship with Europe should be the same as Norway and Switzerland.

We do not accept that England as a Nation should be broken up into artificial ‘regions’ to be largely governed from Brussels, therefore despite the Financial Bribes offered by giving legitimacy to the EU by standing in their elections, the LPUK will not lend stand in those elections.

Should England wish to have its own Parliament, or a regional cantonal system, that is something that should be decided by referendum by the people of England

Whilst LPUK South West largely mirrors the ‘EU Region’ of the South West, we recognise that our region is made up of two distinct entities that of Wessex and Kernow, we also extend the Region into Hampshire as it is part of Wessex.

We see that Jersey,Guernsey, Gibraltar and the Isle of Man, are thriving communities that are self ruled, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland have limited self rule, but do not have any current control over taxation, therefore we see that Kernow is more a victim of being part of the Westminster ruled United Kingdom, where the ‘Minister for the South West’ Ben Bradshaw is in post solely because he has the only Labour seat in the South West & Kernow in Exeter. He is not representative of the political views of Wessex or Kernow.

Kernow under a Libertarian Government would have the full rights of being governed by its historic ‘Stannary Parliament’ as are the Channel Islands are governed by the States, and the Isle of Man by the Tynwald. It could set tax rates for business and individuals that would attract both employment and capital, this would create a stronger entity or nation than corrosive ‘handouts’ from Westminister or Brussels, which reduces Kernow to that of an ‘Indian Reservation’ nominally independent, but in reality part of a dependancy culture. Kernow would have to vote itself independant cantonial status by Referendum, not ‘granted’ it by an LPUK Government.

Equally any of the old Saxon Kingdoms, Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria could through Referenda become Cantons.

We do not subscribe to Blut und Boden policies of Nationalist Parties, but do recognise cultural difference as does the Swiss Cantonal system.

We would argue that a Libertarian self governed Kernow would attract business and people attracted by a political regime that values Liberty above all else, this would be incompatable with saying only Cornish born and bred could live in Kernow.

What Kernow currently needs is investment and work, not EU or Whitehall dependency, as such we hope to be fielding candidates in the next General Election in Cornwall, on a platform of a Libertarian Kernow